Closed Circuit: Team Aguri in Berlin

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Team Aguri handed out yet another debut, as Rene Rast was drafted in as a replacement for Antonio Felix da Costa who was honouring his commitments to DTM. It may not have been the debut the German driver dreamed of, but on the other side of the garage the Anglo-Japanese squad will have been happy to see Ma Qing Hua see the chequered flag after his crash in Paris.

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With Ma making his debut with the team last time out in Paris, bringing in another new driver to the team for Berlin was a risky strategy for Team Aguri. Rast, a 29-year-old German, in addition to Ma, were the two drivers representing the Formula E team in the streets of Berlin over the weekend.

Unfortunately for the team, their performance in Berlin was disappointing. They had their third non-point scoring finish of the season, not including their double DNF in Argentina.

Their pace in the practice sessions was slow, Rast setting the 15th and 17th fastest time in both practice one and two respectively. Ma also struggled, resulting in him putting car 77 in 18th for both practice sessions. Qualifying was also a frustrating time for the Japanese team, with their drivers settling for the last two grid slots before both were promoted up two rows following penalties for four other drivers.

During the ePrix Ma had a fantastic start and made his way up to eleventh place, a position that he would defend for most of the race. His team-mate Rast showed fantastic potential in his first-ever Formula E race and even became the earliest driver of the race to set a fastest lap under a minute; a time of 59.930s.

Rast, as well as many others drivers on track, found himself being ordered to pit immediately during the ePrix as he had sustained damage to his rear wing. The black and orange flags that were common sight in Berlin and many drivers have stated that it had ruined their races, René being one of them.

The race result for the pair saw Ma take home 14th place in his second-ever Formula E race and Rast finished his debut Formula E race in 17th.

Team Aguri are in 8th place in the constructors’ championship with 24 points ahead of the final two races in London.

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[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Once again we showed the pace of our car in the race and we were unlucky to not secure a better result. Both drivers performed impressively given how new they are to the series. We look forward to an exciting final round in London.”
Mark Preston, team principal[/pullquote]

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Championship standings” tab_id=”1461512214611-352b21f1-c5375043-b572e1cc-3a62839a-edf3″][vc_line_chart type=”line” x_values=”Beijing; Putrajaya; Punta del Este; Buenos Aires; Mexico City; Long Beach; Paris; Berlin” values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Team%20Aguri%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%224%3B%2012%3B%2020%3B%2020%3B%2020%3B%2020%3B%2024%3B%2024%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%7D%5D” title=”Championship standings”][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Ma Qing Hua” color=”green”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” color=”green” c_icon=”chevron” active_section=”1″ collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Ma’s race in words” tab_id=”1461512310664-cbeb96df-4af05043-b572e1cc-3a62839a-edf3″][vc_column_text]

With a crash resulting in a retirement last time out in Paris, Berlin was the first time Ma had completed a Formula E race, claiming 14th place whilst doing so. Although he struggled in the practice and qualifying sessions over the weekend, a strong start from the Chinese driver meant he ran in eleventh place for most of the race.

Ma was also quoted saying he was “more comfortable” in the car, just a few weeks after he replaced Salvador Duran at the team. Looking forward to London and the final two races of the season he said he hoped to score points for the team.

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Best time in FP1: 1:01.125 (P18)

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Best time in FP2: 1:02.686 (P18)

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Best time in qualifying: 59.301 (P18, promoted to P14 after penalties for other drivers)

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Best time in the race: 1:01.957 (Lap 13)

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Pit stop time and difference to minimum pit stop time: 79.009 (difference: 17.009)

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[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“I feel very comfortable in the car and we were pushing for a top ten finish for much of the race. My aim is to secure points in London and show what this car really can do.”[/pullquote]

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Championship standings” tab_id=”1461513704972-abbca216-e1a55043-b572e1cc-3a62839a-edf3″][vc_line_chart type=”line” x_values=”Beijing; Putrajaya; Punta del Este; Buenos Aires; Mexico City; Long Beach; Paris; Berlin” values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Ma%20Qing%20Hua%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%220%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22turquoise%22%7D%5D” title=”Championship standings”][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Rene Rast” color=”green”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” color=”green” active_section=”1″ collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Rene’s race in words” tab_id=”1461512547855-b3644413-70595043-b572e1cc-3a62839a-edf3″][vc_column_text]

Making his Formula E debut around the streets of Berlin, René impressed many during the eighth round of the championship. Standing in for Antonio Felix da Costa as he took part in DTM, Rast finished his first ePrix in 17th.

Unfortunately for the German driver, he was ordered to pit in the early stages of the race after damage was caused to his rear wing. Despite this damage Rast did manage to set the fastest lap of the race and became the first driver to set a lap time that was under a minute. He also remained one of only eight drivers to achieve this during the ePrix.

Reviewing his weekend, Rast said the opportunity to drive was a “very special experience” and that given the chance he would love to drive in the championship for a full season.

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Best time in FP1: 1:00.139 (P15)

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Best time in FP2: 1:00.381 (P17)

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Best time in qualifying: 58.756 (P17, promoted to P13 after penalties for other drivers)

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Best time in the race: 59.357 (Lap 27)

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Pit stop time and difference to minimum pit stop time: 161.156 (difference: 99.156)

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[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“This weekend was a very special experience for me. While the handling of Formula E cars is something completely new for me, I was able to really push in the race and could have been very competitive were it not for the black and orange flag.”[/pullquote]

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Championship standings” tab_id=”1461513723518-ee223709-f56c5043-b572e1cc-3a62839a-edf3″][vc_line_chart type=”line” x_values=”Beijing; Putrajaya; Punta del Este; Buenos Aires; Mexico City; Long Beach; Paris; Berlin” values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Rene%20Rast%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%220%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%7D%5D” title=”Championship standings”][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

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Images courtesy of Rajan Jangda

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